Last week’s segment was so fantastic, that we’re back again with more fake news! Donnie Freedom would be proud.
Some say The Donald’s out of line to call out media outlets for their bias. He calls them “fake news.” Well, bub, sorry to break it to you, but that news is only slanted to one political demographic. It’s still not the most ethical (by a long shot), but it’s certainly not the type of “news” that I’m about to share with all of you. I’m talking about real fake news. Yup. Prepare yourself for some true bullsh*t.
FALSE: U.S. Department of State suspends New York Times license
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Donald Trump calls this outfit “The Failing New York Times.” He thinks they’re staffed by a bunch of bad hombres looking to maliciously harm his presidency and destroy his credibility. I don’t think The New York Times needs to do that to achieve this goal, but that’s another story.
FACT: There is a story making the rounds on the web, which claims that the State Department suspended this newspaper’s operational permits after it was critical of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. WRONG! Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha says that this narrative is “completely false.” In fact, there are no operational permits required for U.S. news organizations. There is also no issues with this publication’s international press credentials. A website promoting itself as CNN broke this fake news to the public, publishing a story last month that the State Department accused The Times of “breaking communication code of ethics” and claimed that this matter could cause diplomatic challenges between the Philippines and the United States.
FALSE: Sarah Palin out of her coma, able to identify her attackers
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“Ms. Momma Grizzly Alaska” did not fall into a coma, this headline is complete bull-plop.
FACT: More than a dozen sites have run the same story, re-calling a fake hit-and-run accident on California’s Pacific Coast Highway, involving Palin. The news is fake, but its reported as fact. The story alleges that the former Alaska Governor awoke from her coma with the ability to identity her assailants. Palin’s spokesperson told Associated Press that these reports are “as fake as fake can be.” Each site reports the same verbatim bullsh*t. This “accident” has been fabricated to have occurred on April 28, 2017. But this wasn’t the first time that the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate was the subject of hoax articles in the past. Ahhh, geez!
FALSE: Hobby Lobby just announced plan to close ALL stores
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FACT: There was a whole lot of baloney being spread by Daily Info News, Washing Feed and other outlets stating Hobby Lobby’s CEO said they could go out business for violating the mandates of Obamacare, specifically when it relates to providing employees with access to emergency contraception. But that’s simply not true. Hobby Lobby is exempt from this guideline based on religious preferences in a 2014 Supreme Court decision. This arts and crafts retail chain currently has 700-plus stores and is planning on adding 60 more this year.
FALSE: 2 moms, 5 kids killed in car crash in (insert place here)
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FACT: In June 2016, a minivan accident in South California resulted in the deaths of two mothers and four children, while both fathers survived the wreck. This is true, but multiple web sites have appropriated many details from this story and spun it into a work of fiction. The hoax story has been circulated on the web with dozens of different headlines, each changing the U.S. county where the accident occured. In some cases, they add the fathers’ names and the ages of the children vary per article.
FALSE: Pat Robertson from the “700 Club” says that David Bowie is not dead, he was kidnapped by demons summoned by rock music
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FACT: Unfortunately, David Bowie is definitely dead. But this doesn’t stop others from concocting wild stories involving the ’80s pop star. The satire web site politicops.com first published this story last year, but as recent as this week, this bull-crap has been recycled by admitted hoax site uspoln.com, which has some people scratching their heads. The article begins with an accurate answer from “700 Club” host Pat Robertson to a teenager’s written question regarding whether it was OK to listen to rock music. Robertson simply replied by stating that some rock wasn’t “all that bad,” but some “is just evil.”
A spokesperson from Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network informed the Associated Press that their evangelist host did not make mention on David Bowie or this hair-brained theory about him being kidnapped by demons summoned by demonic rock music. Bowie passed away on January 10, 2016.
